Wednesday, April 16, 2008

A Grammar Fable

Enjoy this dose of wit from the one and only Craig Conley.

The Grammarian and the Dingbat

One fine evening a strolling man heard a cry for help from the bottom of a deep well.

"What's the matter?" he called down.

"I am a grammarian," came the reply. "I've fallen and I can't get up."

"Hold on, professor, and I'll fetch up a rope," said the man.

"One moment, please!" called the grammarian. "Your grammar and diction are faulty; be good enough to amend them."

"In that case, I'll go for a long dash," said the man.

"It's a hyphen, you dingbat!" cried the grammarian, but the man was long gone, and for good.

(inspired by a Sufi tale told by Rumi, as collected in Tales of the Dervishes by Idries Shah)

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